Now, it’s time to get to the interesting parts of this review, parts that even my younger self remembers. While we talked about background, plot, and “acting” in the last part, now we will get to the set design, costuming, music, and overall experience of Lion King: the musical.
Set Design/Costuming: 10/10- While, at the time, Lion King had the most superb
animation, the stage version has, in my opinion, the most impressive and beautiful set design and costuming. Portraying a myriad of diverse animals and characters, the designers of this musical incorporated sub-Saharan tribal art elements in their costumes. Lions with giant and intricate headdresses, sophisticated puppetry for characters such as Timon, Pumba, and the hyenas, and topsy turvy giraffes on stilts all make this musical a mix of the human and the animal in a very tasteful way. I mean, this could have gone very cheesy VERY quickly. Luckily, the moving designs and the wondrous characters elevate this musical from simply a remake to a new piece of art in 
itself.
Music: 9/10- If you liked the songs of the timeless movie, you will surely love the music and score of the stage production. Approximately 85-90% of the songs are directly from the original movie, give or take some African flair here and there. However, the new songs certainly bring a new level to the topics and theme of the movie (such as ancestry, the circle of life, and the responsibilities we all have). Also, the chorus, the more authentic and raw instruments, the chanting, and, in general, the extra efforts added to each song separate it from the well-known singers of the original movie; you certainly wouldn’t be bored when hearing these songs again!
Favorite Songs: He Lives In You (which… oddly enough gets later put into Lion King 2), They Live In You (He Lives In You is the reprise), and… Be Prepared
I’ll put in a link to everyone’s favorite song too: Hakuna Matata
Overall Experience: 9.5/10- If you are looking for a good time, you are gonna have one. If you are looking for something not complicated, you have found one. If you are looking for something visually stunning yet not obscure, you have found one. If you are looking for something to bring kids or those not into musical to? You have certainly found a great one! I would love to see it again someday and I believe I will because I believe this musical still has a very, very long run left; I have fond memories with this musical and I am certain many more do as well.
Seen it? Want to see it? Timon or Pumba? Let me know!
Till next time~
I’ve never seen the Lion King on Broadway, but I’m an absolute sucker for the animated movie so I’m sure I would love it. Plus I remember back in the day on Disney Channel when they used to do behind the scenes spots on Disney Broadway shows and the Lion King was probably the one I had wanted to see most. I love that the costumes and set design are done in such a traditional, African style when they could have easily done something stupid like try to recreate the animated characters as perfectly as possible. Like you said, it looks like this show is a work of art in and of itself. Hopefully one day I’ll get to see it!
This is probably my favorite Broadway play right next to Tarzan. Watching this as a 15 year old just amazed me because of the amazing costumes and sets that frankly seemed impossible to pull off. Every costume was so awesome to look at and made you feel like you were in the animal kingdom.